The Gymnosperms of the Malay Peninsula. 
By iE. NoeIpLEY, M.A., F.RS. 
The three existing groups of the Gymnosperms, Coniferae, 
Gnetaceae and Cycadeae are represented in the Malay peninsula 
but not by any means abundantly nor do any forin a conspicuous 
feature in the flora. 
The Conifers, more abundant in temperate than in warm cli- 
mates, are almost confined to the group Taxaceae. We have one 
species of the Araucarieae, Agathis, and of Taxaceae including the 
sroup Podocarpeae, seven species of two genera, Dacrydium and 
Podocarpus. 
_ Now the geographical distribution of these conifers is of some 
interest. In the forests of the low country up to nearly 1000 feet 
we have only three species; Podocarpus Wallichianus, P. neriifolius 
and P. polystachyus, the latter two closely allied. The two first are 
natives also of Khasiya, and the tropical Himalaya. This section 
of Podocarps with yew like leaves is widely scattered over the whole 
of the tropics of both hemispheres descending into colder regions of 
the south Chile, Australasia, Japan, South Africa. 
When we get to the mountain regions we have Agathis (or 
Dammara), Dacrydiwm elatum, D. faleiforme and D. Beccarii and 
the very distinet Podocarpus cupressinus, with foliage of two forms 
very unlike anything in the Indian region. All these occur in Borneo, 
and in other islands to the east, but are absent from the Hima- 
layan or northern region; one or two do get as far as Burmah and 
Cambodia, but there they disappear. Thus our conifers appear to 
have invaded the yeninsula from two directions. The lowland ones 
from the north, the mountain ones from the east. All the latter 
occur in Borneo also with the addition of two more Podocarps 
P. imbricatus Bl. and P. Teysmanni and another genus, Phyllocladus 
P. hypophyllus, Hook fil.) of which the other known species come 
from New Zealand, Tasmania, the Philippines and New Guinea. 
There is one more genus which we might expect to find in the 
Peninsula, but which certainly has not yet been seen, and that is 
the northern genus Pinus of which one species, Pinus Merkusii 
Jungh. occurs in Tenasserim, Sumatra and Borneo. 
In all our conifers except Agathis the ovule when ripe is dru- 
paceous and red in colour and these are swallowed and so dispersed 
by birds. Agathis like the pine trees has winged seed that can drift 
to but a short distance so that its dispersal over the large area it 
covers must have taken a very long time. It belongs to the group 
of Arauearieae which includes the genera Araucaria of South 
America, Polynesia and Australia; Agathis in Australasia and Poly- 
nesia and up through the Eastern Malay Archipelago to Penang and 
Cunninghamia and Sciadopitys of the Japanese and Chinese region, 
Jour. Straits Branch R. A. Soc., No. 69, 1911, 
